The Press., 1887-08-18

planned case of train wrecking that the bridge was set on fire by miscreants who hoped to siege the opportunity offered
 and the fact that the bridge was SO far co,u.
 sumed at the time the train cane AlsnK
 aud the added fact that the train was an | hour and s half late are pointed out as ev- idence of a careful conspiracy. These hends in human form vent into the cars when the ire was burning hercely under. meath and when the poor wretches who were pinned there begged them ''for God s sake tO help them out," and stripped them ! ot their watches and iewelry and searched
 their pockets for money. When inc dead bodies were laid out in the corn fields tbe-e hyenas turned them over in their search for vsluables. And that the plundering
 was done by,an organized gang was proved lby the fact that next morning out in
 tue corn-helds 16 purses all empty were
 found in one heap. It vas q ghastly plum
 dering. .,.,,.,,.., ..,.l.., .,-. -. ar..
 '. One incident stood ont most horribly.
 In the second coach was man, his wife Land little child. His name could not be learneds but it is said he got on at Peoria. When the accident occurred, the entire family of three was caught and held down lief came the man turned to the friendly hands and teebly said '"Take out my wife hrst. I'm afraid the child is dead :" SO they carried out the mother, and as a brok- | en seat was taken of her crushed breast. | the blood which yelled from her lips told | how badly she was hurt. They carried the | child, fair-haired blue-eyed girl of three. and laid her in the corn-feld, dead, along | side of her dying mother. Then they went back for the father and brought him out. | Both his legs were broken, but he crawled l through the corn to the side of his wife and | feeling her loved features in the darkness pressed some brandy to her lips and asked | her how she felt. A feeble groan was the | only answer and the next instant she died. | The man felt the forms of his dead wife | and child and cried out, "My God there is | nothing more for me to live for now" and | taking pistol out of his pocket pulled the | trigger. The bullet entered bis brain.
 Superintendent Armstrong says that the | more he investigated the more it appeared l to him that the bridge had been set on fire. l The burned grass in it's immediate locality was not of a nature that seemed likely to admit of the bridges catching from it. He had observed many thieves at work, and stopped them while despoiling the wreck of property and money. Instances of the robbing of the dead were being brought
 to his attention The excursion had been extensively advertised, and the time it
 would pass over the bridge was we'll known. Citizens say that gang of suspicious fel-
 lows have been lettering around Chats
 worth for some days. Many of these were
 found early at the wreck, paying more at Itention to relieving the bodies of their val
 uables than to caring for them otherwise TEainmen and passengers had frequent
 contentiens with the vandals. In one in-
 stance Superintendent Armstrong found
 a we'll known thief in the depot-room where the property taken from the wreck was
 stored. While people of the town have done all in their power for the sufferers, T there is .a horde of hamps and thieves in the vicinity who do nothing but carry of
 anything they can get their hands on.
 James Barling of Ferris was in the third
 car from the front and was but slightly in- jnred. A He relates his experience as fol-
 lowsss "At first thought the car was of the tTack, as it went humping along. AL II most instantly it stopped, and at once
 could be heard men pounding on the roof
 with axes. Suddenly the roof split open and crawled out. Some others had
 erawled out and more were doing so. Cries and shrieks could be heard, but ev-
 cry thing was in darkness, and the lights
 had been extinRuished. The cars were
 piled three deep, and mine was on top. saw some robberies. The bridge was all
 afre, but there was no fire outside of the
 bridge on the right aide of the track where lI was." As the excitement in a measure dies out robberies are beginning to come to light. Miller Patterson, when he left Wyoming, his home, carried silver watch and had about $30 in money after buying
 his ticket. Only about $2. 50 was found on the body, A man, apparently tramp, II about 90 years of age, was caught in the
 act of robbing corpse and was spotted by
 a young man and made sneak for Piper City. For three hours one woman was
 hanging out of a car window, her body lifeless. She was caught by the thighs, her. Her legs were horribly mangled and the hesh was torn completely off
 1, One of the most ghoulish acts was that of a man who was getting out of the cars. , Near him was a woman with a fine gold watch and chain. She was badly injured , and cried with anguish. "Oh, God, help me-" The man turned, apparently to as- sist her, but instead, stopped over, grabbed
 the watch and chain and fled. The rescu- |, ing party, who were among the first to go to
 the wreck, saw watches, chains and pocket books scattered around. Such of these as , they had time they picked up and restored to their owners. The train -wreckers are
 working both ways at the wreck and it is ] almost certian they will not get the track , cleared before to-night. In the third coach from the engine was @ man with his , wife and daughter. When the wreck came he lost hand satchel, but afterward found it his pocket-book, however, containing